Boise State football coaches have mixed feelings on new NCAA social media rules

Boise State football coach Bryan Harsin, pre-fall camp II

"We're looking for progress in the quarterback position. We've changed some ideas and thoughts," said Harsin.
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"We're looking for progress in the quarterback position. We've changed some ideas and thoughts," said Harsin.
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A new NCAA rule went into effect Monday which created a bit of a stir on social media, one that allowed coaches to retweet or “like” posts from recruits. Previously, coaches could not publicly interact with a recruit in that fashion, only allowed to direct message them.

It can be a slippery slope, and to prepare, signs were even posted in the restrooms around Boise State athletic facilities regarding the new rules. In essence, “click, don’t type” is the rule of thumb. A coach cannot respond directly to a post on Twitter or Facebook, but they can share or like it. They also cannot retweet a scouting service post, as that is considered an endorsement.

Some coaches went wild with it at 12:01 a.m. Monday, and TCU’s Gary Patterson and Tennessee’s Butch Jones were among the most prolific, retweeting more than 100 posts in just a few hours. The Boise State staff didn’t do so until Monday morning, and even then, kept it so timelines weren’t flooded.

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Harsin added that “it opens a scary circumstance for some people,” if it allows people to know just who coaches are recruiting and they then try to contact the recruits. It’s also technically an NCAA violation. The Boise State staff feels it will in the end not be a big negative, and the tweet storms will likely subside, but also are hoping it doesn’t change the dynamic too much.

“We talked about it, we said we’re not going to get crazy with this stuff,” tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Kent Riddle said. “... it’s a fine line, because you don’t want (a recruit) to be like ‘why’d you retweet his stuff and not mine?’ The flipside is a guy that’s a little bit more worried about that might not be exactly the guy we’re looking for.”

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Boise State finally has an official kickoff time for its season opener, but exactly where the game can be seen is a little hazy.

The Sun Belt announced the Broncos’ opener at Louisiana on Sept. 3 will kick off bright and early at 10 a.m. MT. The conference also said five early season games will be televised on the “over the air” American Sports Network. ASN carried last December’s Arizona Bowl, and it was carried locally on KTRV, but Boise State has not determined a local station on which the game will air.

For those that opt to stream, the game will also be carried on ESPN3.

Here is Boise State’s 2016 football schedule:

▪ Sept. 3 (Saturday): at Louisiana, 10 a.m. (American Sports Network)

▪ Sept. 10 (Saturday): Washington State, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN2)

▪ Sept. 17: BYE

▪ Sept. 24 (Saturday): at Oregon State, time and TV TBD

▪ Oct. 1 (Saturday): Utah State, time and TV TBD (ESPN Networks)

▪ Oct. 7 (Friday): at New Mexico, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)

▪ Oct. 15 (Saturday): Colorado State, time and TV TBD (ESPN Networks)

▪ Oct. 20 (Thursday): BYU, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)

▪ Oct. 29 (Saturday): at Wyoming, 5 p.m. (CBSSN)

▪ Nov. 4 (Friday): San Jose State, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN2)

▪ Nov. 12 (Saturday): at Hawaii, 5 p.m. (CBSSN)

▪ Nov. 18 (Friday): UNLV, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

▪ Nov. 25 (Friday): at Air Force, 1:30 p.m. (CBSSN)

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Boise State is unveiling its All-Blue Team today after the fan voting that took place over the summer. Of the 27 players announced, three will be added via write-in starting Thursday, and the whole team will be honored Sept. 10 at halftime against Washington State.